Easy Baked Ziti
This easy baked ziti is a huge family favorite. Creamy, cheesy alfredo pasta topped with a beefy spaghetti sauce! Then topped with melted mozzarella cheese!
A DELICIOUSLY EASY ZITI RECIPE
This is one of my favorite comfort food pasta dishes. I literally make this several times a month for dinner because it is so simple to make and leftovers are fantastic for my work lunch the next day! This one along with my Baked Spaghetti (Spasagna) is the ultimate comfort food for me. Serve it with some Garlic Bread and a salad and I am a happy camper!
I’ve made this several times and I freeze them for those busy nights or when I don’t feel like cooking.I’ve brought them to cookouts and gave some in smaller pans for a couple of elderly neighbors. I’m always asked for the recipe. Thank you for sharing. It’s highly requested!
– Annie
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
I usually use penne pasta because it has those little ridges in it. And those little ridges are really good at hanging onto the pasta sauce. But if you prefer the Ziti pasta, then use that instead of the Penne. This recipe is versatile and you can use almost any other pasta noodle you prefer.
When I make this, I usually purchase an extra jar of spaghetti sauce so we can pour extra sauce over the top when serving.
Absolutely! Or you can try using different flavored alfredo sauces – like garlic or basil.
Yes, of course. Whatever you prefer. Ground pork can also be used.
Want an extra kick? Try adding some ground Italian sausage to the mixture!
Yes. Like most pasta baked dishes, you can assemble it all the night before, cover with foil and put into the refrigerator then bake the next day. You will probably have to add a few minutes to the baking time since you are starting everything from a cold state.
Yes! Like most pasta dishes this freezes very well. Just cover properly to protect against freezer burn and it will keep for up to 3 months.
Allow it to cool fully then put it in a covered container and into the refrigerator where it will keep for up to 3 days.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR THE FULL RECIPE)
- ground beef – you can use Italian sausage, ground pork or pretty much any ground meat you prefer.
- spaghetti sauce – I really love Rao’s pasta sauce when I can get it on sale. It’s so good! Use a sauce that you enjoy and is in your budget. Or you can make your own Homemade Marinara Sauce.
- alfredo sauce – use your favorite storebosugh alfredo sauce or make your own from scratch. I have a delicious homemade alfredo sauce that I make for my Copycat Olive Garden Chicken Alfredo recipe.
- penne, ziti or rigatoni pasta – you can use any pasta that is of similar size and you’ll want to use the same amount.
- onion – if you also enjoy adding peppers to your sauces, you would add it in at the same time you add the onion.
- shredded mozzarella – shred your own or use store bought pre-shredded cheese
HOW TO MAKE EASY BAKED ZITI:
Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray. Prepare pasta according to directions. In a medium sauce pan, brown ground beef with onion (if using.) After beef is browned and crumbled, drain excess grease.
Put back in pot and pour in jar of spaghetti sauce. Keep mixture on low until pasta is done. When pasta is finished, drain well. You want the pasta as dry as possible. Put pasta back in large pot (with heat off).
Pour in jar of alfredo sauce. Combine until thoroughly coated. Pour pasta mixture into bottom of 9×13-inch dish.
Cover pasta with spaghetti sauce mixture and spread it out evenly.
Sprinkle top with mozzarella cheese. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 15 minutes. I like to spray the inside of my foil with nonstick spray so the cheese doesn’t stick to it. Or you could use nonstick aluminum foil.
Remove foil and bake for another 15 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly. Let rest for about 5 minutes after taking out of oven.
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Originally published: May 2011
Updated and republished: July 2025
Easy Baked Ziti
Ingredients
- 1 pound penne pasta (or ziti or rigatoni)
- 1 pound ground beef
- ½ yellow onion, diced
- 24 ounce jar of your favorite pasta sauce (see notes below)
- 16 ounce jar garlic alfredo sauce
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- dried parsley (optional garnish)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray.
- Prepare 1 pound penne pasta according to directions until al dente.
- In a medium sauce pan, brown and crumble 1 pound ground beef with ½ yellow onion, diced. Once cooked, drain any excess grease and put back into pan.
- Put back in pot and pour in 24 ounce jar of your favorite pasta sauce. Keep mixture on low heat until pasta is done.
- When pasta is finished, drain well. You want the pasta as dry as possible.
- Put pasta back into the large pot (with heat off) and pour in 16 ounce jar garlic alfredo sauce. Combine until thoroughly coated.
- Pour pasta mixture into bottom of the 9×13-inch baking dish.
- Cover pasta with pasta sauce mixture. Spread evenly.
- Sprinkle top evenly with 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese. Cover with nonstick aluminum foil and bake for 15 minutes.
- Remove foil and bake for another 15 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly. Let rest for about 5 minutes after taking out of oven. Optional: sprinkle the top with a little dried parsley.
- Serve portions onto plates, and pour additional pasta sauce on top (optional)
Video
Notes
- Please refer to my FAQ’s (Frequently Asked Questions) and ingredient list above for other substitutions or for the answers to the most common questions.
- If you like your baked ziti extra saucy, pick up an extra jar of pasta sauce. Warm it up and use it to add additional sauce to individual servings.
- Feel free to add one diced green pepper and 2 cloves minced garlic to the ground beef an onion mixture.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
I made this tonight! I used one can of spaghetti sauce instead. And I used the penne! It was delicious! Might try it with sausage instead of ground beef next time! Definitely worth making again! Great recipe!
Yay, so glad you loved it!
I make this all the time. My kids love it
I love your recipe, but the pop up for another recipe was super annoying. I couldn't get it to go away, and it covered half the ingredients making it hard to shop.
Hi! Curious if anyone has made this with 1 lb beef and 1 lb sausage? If so, did you make any adjustments to the recipe to accommodate the extra meat? My husband likes pasta dishes meaty but the rest of us like it saucy. Was curious if I add an extra lb of meat if I should add an extra jar of Alfredo and pasta sauce
I've made this recipe before and it is AMAZING!!
I will be making for my work holiday party to knock everyones socks off! Just going to double the recipe and put it in the crock pot, cook on low for 8 hours, then YUM!! CAN"T WAIT!!
Thanks you so much for the amazing recipe!
So, I asked hubby what does he want me to take out of the freezer for dinner = he said the ziti!
I need to get a photo so I can do a post on my blog and add your link so lots of people can enjoy this delicious meal.
Thanks
Linda
Yay! Congratulations on your pregnancy! Yes! It freezes really well! This is one I love to make for new Mommas!
Does this freeze well? I am 8 mos pregnant & I am looking for some options for freezer meals so that I don't have to cook after the baby arrives.
This was amazing!! I did make a few changes… I used half ground sausage and half ground beef, made my own Alfredo sauce which turned out amazing btw, and instead of using all mozzarella cheese I used some provel as well!!! My husband raved and said he didn't want to quit eating it! And yes the extra sauce is a must! Thanks for a great recipe!!!
My family loved your recipe. Thanks for all the helpful hints along the way, you made me look good. 🙂
Dinner success! I made this tonight. The recipe was simple and it tasted great. My boys absolutely loved it! The garlic Alfredo sauce was an excellent touch. This dish will definitely be in my dinner rotation. Thanks for sharing!
Looks like you added some spice on the top….what is it?
Thanks,
Cheryl
Made this for Christmas dinner today! It was wonderful! Thanks for the great recipe!
Thank you for sharing this recipe. I've never been a fan of mixing white and red sauces but it looked yummy enough to give it a try. I did modify slightly by only using half the pasta at the bottom with half a jar of alfredo and mixed the rest of the pasta with a can and a half of red with the hamburger…. LOVED IT as did my 18 year old who will be cooking it for her boyfriends family as the first dish she cooks for them.
I wasn't sure about this recipe when I first read it but saw all the great comments and decided to give it a go and was not disappointed!!! This was easy and was loved by my hubby and myself! I will be taking it with me for lunch tomorrow and sharing with my boss. Thank you for all the wonderful recipes and keeping me from doing the same old recipes every week!
I saw this on Pinterest today and baked it. I used ground beef and hot italian sausage and it was a winner. Made some garlic bread and now everyone is resting. Will definitely be doing this again. Very easy to make and didn't take much time. Thanks for sharing.
I've made this several times now, but have used Italian sausage instead of ground beef. This last time, I added a layer of fresh Bella mushrooms between the noodles and the spaghetti sauce and it was to die for! Thanks for sharing this great recipe!
I just made the baked ziti tonite for a celebratory supper and it was a HUGE hit. Everyone loved it including me because it was super easy. I have never used the alfredo sauce in this dish before and it made all the difference. Thanks for a great new dish that is very budget friendly and quick.
I learned from the first time I made this. Make two at a time; one to eat know and one to freeze for another meal. I used turkey and pork sausage for a flavor twice – yum!
The addition of the garlic alfredo sauce was GENIUS! I'll be emailing you soon to request permission to use this on my Shrinking On a Budget Meal Plan. I'll need to tweak it a little for my subscribers, but love the concept!
Thank You so much for this recipe! Just made it tonight and it was sooooo yummy! Nephew had 3 servings! The only thing I did was to add some spices and seasonings to the meat sauce. MMMMMMMM…..
I made this last night, only I made it with ground turkey instead of ground beef! It was delicious! I'll definitely make this again soon! It was so easy, and no complaints from the husband or kids! Thanks!
This is one of the few Pinterest recipes that I make over and over. It's delicious!! Thanks for the great recipe.
We like spicy in our house. So, changed the beef to hot Italian sausage, put it in the food processor (because the hubs and kiddos don't like chunky sauce) and added some additional spices to the sauce…keeper in our house! Made a quick green salad and some garlic bread…there is dinner on a busy Wednesday night!
I made this yesterday. It's wonderful! As you recommended, I used penne pasta. I didn't use the additional/2nd jar of spaghetti sauce. I bought plain (Classico) alfredo sauce, then (as someone here suggested) I added garlic powder to my own taste. I used Francisco Rinaldi with mushrooms spaghetti sauce, and I did add onion. My dear husband panicked when he saw the jar of alfredo sauce. I assured him that he wouldn't really taste this ingredient, once it was mixed in. He took 2nd helping and maybe a 3rd. He said "I didn't expect to like this, but I really do." Thanks, Brandie – It's a keeper!
Made this tonight & it was delish! I made my own Alfredo sauce instead of bought & will def be making this dish again!
I made this last weekend. It was a big hit in my house. The alfredo just gives the Zita a good flavor and blends with the sauce and cheese.
Delicious!
Came across this recipe yesterday and tried it! OMG it is so good! I think the Alfredo sauce adds a different flavor to it. My son loves it! Thanks
This works for me! Add a glass of red wine and I am a happy camper. The Mr loves lots of pasta sauce so that extra jar of sauce is a must have.
It looks great Brandie. I always use Delmonte Garlic & Onion in the can as it is the best I have ever eaten.
This was super! Adding the alfredo sauce to the pasta and then adding the extra sauce on top really made a difference. Definitely a keeper!
Made this the other night and we loved it! We will definitely be making this again. So easy to make and delicious! Thank you!!
I make something very similar to this and it is one of our favorites! I put the uncooked penne pasta in the bottom of my baking dish then sprinkle it with Italian sausage that I've already cooked. Then I pour a jar of pasta sauce over that plus a jar of water. Mix it all together, cover it up and bake it for 1/2 hour. Then I uncover it and put Italian-style shredded cheese on top, then bake it uncovered until the cheese melts. YUM!
I have tried this recipe twice! It is already my fast favorite. I love how easy it is, and how gooey it gets with the jar of Alfredo sauce. This is my favorite recipe. It's even better than homemade lasagna.
Oh, I am making this for supper tonight! It's cold and snowy out and this will be perfect to warm us all up! Love your recipes!
yum
I love the idea of mixing both flavors of sauces – delicious! This is the only Alfredo sauce I will use… 1 stick of butter, 1 cream cheese 8 oz, 1 pint of half and half, onion powder, lots of garlic powder, Parmesan cheese ( about one quarter to half a container – Kraft) and Parsley, salt and pepper. Simmer (but not boiling) and wisk until creamy. Will thicken as it cools – 100% better the next day.
What are your proportions for onion powder and garlic powder?
Hubby isn't a big fan of pasta but he gave this a thumbs up. I used meatballs instead since that's what I had on hand and I also added a little garlic salt to the sauce. Delicious!
Think this would be good if I added turkey kielbasa? Would I mix it with the red sauce?
Just wanna say I <3, <3, <3 ALL your recipes and am constantly sharing them. Thank you for this wonderful blog.
Ever since I've found this receipe it has become a favorite to make. I make it meatless. Just made it for dinner last night.
Do you think you could use a different kind of pasta for this recipe? Or does it work best with penne? I wanna make this tonight so bad lol. But the only pasta I have is Radiatori?
I'm making this tonight, I'm using garlic spag sauce instead of garlic alfredo sauce…we'll see if it makes a different taste. I'll come back and let you know..looks yummy.
Great recipe! I made a meatless version, and it turned out great! Next time, I will use the non-garlic alfredo sauce because the garlic taste was a bit strong for my preferences. I will also use a bit more mozz cheese because I am a huge cheese fan. I loved how simple this recipe is to make, and it only took a few ingredients! Thanks for posting!
Going to be making this for dinner tonight and I know it is going to be a hit with my hubby, son and I! Thanks for sharing your wonderful recipes!
Cooking in my oven right now. Can't wait to taste it!
Made this tonight for my family and they LOVeD it and let's just say they are a tough crowd to please!!! Thank you
This was delicious, quick, and easy to make. The flavors go well together. This will be a regular in my house. I made the roast chicken today and the butterfinger cake. Can't wait to try it. I try at least one of your recipes a week and have not been dissappointed. I love your website and tell everyone about it. Thanks for the many wonderful recipes!
I made this recipe last night after searching for pina colada cakes!! This is really good!! The only substitution was the mozzarella cheese for a 5 cheese Italian blend from Kraft that I just found. Yummy!
and the cake? I made it for the potluck here at work today.
Thanks so much – glad I found this site!!! 🙂
Brandie,
My husband BEGS for this Baked Ziti! He absolutely loves it. I've tried many of your recipes and they've all been hits! Thanks so much!
Ruth
Dear Lord woman! This is my Favorite recipe now. I pretty much always have noodles , meat and sauces so this meal is perfect. Quick for whipping out dinner when i'm tired and don't know what to cook. It is SO good and always gets me compliments, which of course i tell them it was you. 😉
Awww Shelby – thank you so much for that!! You made my day! I know all about being too exhausted to cook. I am glad to hear this is now a "go-to" recipe for you. Thank you for taking the time to comment!